CAR NEWS
The latest to roll out of Maranello is the 812 Superfast, the replacement to the F12 Berlinetta
Ferrari 812 Superfast, Bentley Barnato and TAMO
IT ISN’T EVERYDAY THAT Ferrari unveils an all-new car but when they do, they drop something so hot that you can’t help but stop whatever you’re doing and simply stare. Take this gorgeous hunk of metal (and carbonfibre!) here as a case in point. Set to be the replacement to the F12 Berlinetta and F12tdf, the 812 Superfast (we’ll come to the name in a bit) is the latest manifestation of their flagship V12 GT car. Ferrari are calling it their fastest, most powerful road-going car in their history — they’ve clearly forgotten they made a car called the LaFerrari not too long ago. But it looks spectacular. And it has got enough going on underneath to be spectacular as well.
The car makes 788bhp at a glorious 8500rpm and a maximum of 718Nm of torque at 7000rpm, all from a massive 6.5-litre V12 engine sitting under that swooping bonnet. And
while cars like the California T and the 488 GTB have already joined the turbo bandwagon, Ferrari aren't letting go of their V12 heritage just yet. The 812’s engine is 234 cee cees larger than the V12 in the F12 – a proverbial middle finger to the downsizing brigade. The V12 after all did mark the start of the Prancing Horse legacy in the 125 S in 1947, precisely 70 years ago.
The Superfast is well, super fast: 0-100kmph comes up in just 2.9 seconds while the top speed is claimed to be over 340kmph. All its power is sent to the rear wheels though a dualclutch seven-speed transmission with quicker shift timings.
But this car isn’t a brute – Ferrari have bestowed upon it plenty of electronics to sharpen it up. It gets an updated version of their Virtual Short Wheelbase rear-wheel steering system that featured on the F12tdf, gets Slip Slide Control and they have ditched hydraulic power steering and adopted electric power steering for the first time. The interiors have been given a mild update as well, the highlights being a new infotainment system and a new (but not too different) steering wheel, replete with the engine starter button and the Manettino dial.
Now that name… although it sounds like Ferrari decided upon it after taking the expert opinion of a bunch of four-year olds, it is actually steeped in a whole lot of Ferrari history. The name was first seen on a prancing horse back in 1956 – the 410 Superfast was an evolution of the Superamerica name introduced the previous year. The car was designed by Pininfarina and was an attempt by Ferrari to increase its presence in the booming American market.
However, this could very well be the last time we see a big free-breathing V12 on a Ferrari. Brand CEO Sergio Marchionne has confirmed that by 2019, all Ferraris will switch over to hybrid power.
The Superfast is going to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, which starts on March 7.
Ferrari have ditched hydraulic power steering for AN ELECTRIC UNIT FOR THE FIRST time